How to Make a LinkedIn Banner That Matches the Rest of Your Brand

A LinkedIn banner is 1584 by 396 pixels, a 4:1 strip across the top of your profile. The best ones say one thing: what you do, and for whom, in the same colours and fonts as your posts. Keep the text away from the lower left, where your profile photo sits, and check it on your phone after uploading.

That's the short version. The rest of this is about getting it right the first time, because the banner is the one image every visitor to your profile sees before anything else.

What size is a LinkedIn banner?

Export at exactly this size rather than something close. LinkedIn will scale a different size to fit, and scaling is where text goes soft and edges get cut off.

What does the profile photo cover?

Your round profile photo overlaps the bottom of the banner on the left side. Anything you put in that lower-left area will be hidden behind your face, which is a shame if it's your headline.

Phones add a second complication. The banner is shown smaller and the layout around it is different, so something that sits comfortably on a laptop can end up crowded or partly hidden on a phone.

The safe approach:

• Put your main line of text in the middle or right half of the banner.
• Leave the lower-left quarter for background colour or a simple pattern.
• Keep a margin around all four edges.
• After uploading, look at your profile on a laptop and on your phone before you call it done.

What should a LinkedIn banner say?

One sentence about what you do and who you do it for. That's it.

Mine says "I build complete products for founders." It isn't clever, and it doesn't need to be. Someone who lands on my profile from a comment knows within a second whether I might be useful to them.

A few patterns that work:

• What you do for whom: "Brand identities for early-stage climate startups."
• The result you deliver: "I help SaaS founders ship their first version in eight weeks."
• What you're known for: your name, your role, and a short line that makes it specific.

Things that don't earn their space: a list of five services, your phone number, stock photos of city skylines, and inspirational quotes. Your headline field and About section are where the detail goes. The banner is a sign on the door.

How do you make the banner match your posts?

This is the part most banners get wrong. People treat the banner as a separate design project, so it ends up in a different colour, a different font and a different mood from everything they post.

Your banner should look like it came from the same place as your posts:

• Same background colour as your posts use most often.
• Same headline font and weight.
• Same accent used in the same way, whether that's a coloured underline, a highlight or a shape.
• Same logo or name placement, if you put one on your posts.

When the banner and the posts match, a visitor who scrolls from your banner into your activity sees one brand instead of two. That's the whole effect you're after.

If you haven't pinned down your colours, fonts and layouts yet, start with the guide on keeping your brand consistent on every image. The banner is much easier once those decisions are made.

What does this look like in practice?

My own banner is purple, with that one line of text, and I made it in Hoverfly, like my posts. The banner and the posts come from one set of brand decisions, which is the whole point: a visitor moving from one to the other shouldn't notice a seam.

What are the most common LinkedIn banner mistakes?

• Text in the lower left, hidden behind the profile photo.
• Too much text. If it takes more than a couple of seconds to read, it won't be read.
• Text too small to read on a phone. Most people will see your profile on one.
• Low contrast, such as white text on a light brand colour. Here's how to check that text is readable on your brand colours.
• A banner that doesn't match anything else you post, which makes the profile feel stitched together.
• The default blue background. It tells visitors you haven't got to it yet.

When is Hoverfly not the right fit for this?

If your banner is a photograph (you on stage, your team, your workspace) you need a photo, not a template, and you should crop it to 1584 x 396 in whatever photo tool you like. Hoverfly suits text-led banners that should match your other branded images. If the banner is the only branded image you'll ever make, any design tool will do the job.

Frequently asked questions

What is the LinkedIn banner size in 2026? 1584 x 396 pixels, a 4:1 ratio, as a JPG or PNG under 8 MB.

Why does my banner look blurry? Usually because it was exported at a different size and LinkedIn scaled it, or because it was saved with heavy compression. Export at exactly 1584 x 396 and use PNG if the banner is mostly text and flat colour.

Why is part of my banner cut off on my phone? The banner displays differently on phones, and the profile photo overlaps it. Keep text away from the edges and the lower left, and check on a phone after uploading.

Should I put my email or website on my banner? Usually not. Links on a banner can't be clicked, and your contact details already have their own place on your profile. Use the space for one clear line about what you do.

Does a company page banner use the same size? LinkedIn company pages use a banner of a similar wide shape. Check the current recommended size on LinkedIn's own help pages before exporting, as page layouts change from time to time.

Sources

• LinkedIn Help: Add or change the background photo on your profile
• Canva Design Wiki: LinkedIn sizes